Sensata closes plant for weekend as outsourcing protests against Bain Capital-owned company grow

FREEPORT, Ill. — Workers facing outsourcing at Freeport’s Sensata Technologies plant were told by management Oct. 26 that the plant would be shut down for the weekend of Oct. 27-28, marking the second weekend in a row the factory has stopped production.

The weekend shutdown comes after workers walked off the job Oct. 25 in protest of repeated threats against and harassment of employees by Sensata management (click here for more details).

Fourteen protesters were arrested during a march on the plant Wednesday, Oct. 24, which included the arrests of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, local labor leaders and three workers. A big rally is planned for Saturday, Oct. 27, with UAW President Bob King visiting the “Bainport” encampment to show his support for the works.

The Freeport workers filed two unfair labor practice charges against the company with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Wednesday, Oct. 24, for cracking down on protected concerted activity and threatening to close the plant early if workers continued to protest. Following through on that threat, Sensata circulated a memo Oct. 25 stating that employees could leave with pay if they felt threatened by the protests — which would effectively shut down the plant immediately if employees opted to stop working.

“This weekend shutdown is part of Sensata’s continued threat to shut down the plant early if we continued to protest,” said Sensata worker Tom Gaulrapp. “They claim that the protests create ‘a stressful work environment.’ But what’s more stressful than having your job shipped to China and finding yourself unemployed?”

Bain Capital-owned Sensata plans to close the Freeport plant in December and outsource the plant’s 170 jobs to China. Workers at the plant have been training their Chinese replacements, who have been flown to Illinois by the company.

Created by Bain in 2006, Sensata develops, manufactures, and sells sensors and controls for major auto manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors.

MSNBC’s The Ed Show broadcasted live from the Bainport encampment across from the plant at Stephenson County Fairgrounds Friday night, Oct. 19, in front of a crowd of hundreds, while CNN reported live from the camp three times last week.

Sensata has emerged as a flashpoint in the controversy over Republican presidential candidate and former Bain CEO and co-founder Mitt Romney’s ties to China.

Sensata workers have pleaded publicly with Romney to help save their jobs from being outsourced to China.

Not only does Romney stand to profit from the outsourcing of these jobs through the stock he still owns in the company, his 2011 tax returns show he got a huge tax break by moving Sensata stock to a charity organization he controls — and that he continues to profit from Bain’s offshore holdings and tax avoidance strategies.

Three community supporters were arrested earlier in the month for blocking trucks from removing equipment that was on its way to China. Six were arrested as the Sensata workers tried to deliver a petition to the plant manager last week as part of their effort to win a full severance. Workers who have been at the plant for 20, 30 and even 40-plus years are getting 26 weeks of pay as a severance from Bain-owned Sensata.

Bainport is an encampment set up at Stephenson County Fairgrounds in Freeport, Ill., by workers facing outsourcing at the plant. The fairgrounds is at 2250 S. Walnut Road, Freeport.

Workers began the encampment Sept. 12 to protest Bain’s decision to ship their jobs to China and increase the pressure on Romney to help save their jobs.

Workers at the Bainport encampment were joined Oct. 20 by the Rev. Al Sharpton and Oct. 21 by workers from Republic Windows in Chicago who successfully occupied their factory four years ago and won their full severance. They have since become founding members of the worker-run cooperative New Era Windows.

The workers plan to stay at the Bainport encampment until Romney agrees to help save their jobs, or, as stated in a release from the group, “until middle-class voters nationwide understand the dangers of a Romney economy for our country.”

According to SEC filings, Romney served as CEO of the private equity investment firm Bain Capital from its founding in 1984 until 2002. Romney, however, has repeatedly said he left the company in 1999.

Over the past few months, Sensata workers have tried to contact Romney with a 35,000-signature petition, frequent protests outside the plant and trips to nearby campaign offices.

In July, the Freeport City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling on Romney to meet the workers and use his influence at Bain to intervene on their behalf. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) echoed their call during a trip to Freeport later that month.

Workers took their campaign directly to Romney at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 27-30.